Canberra should not heed Washington's hard sell, its 'Indo-Pacific' strategy is nothing but snake oil

This is an editorial from China Daily.

Judging by the outcome of Saturday's "2+2" meeting between the foreign and defense ministers of the United States and Australia, it is crystal clear that Canberra, whether through inclination or compulsion, is going to play a bigger role in the US' "Indo-Pacific" strategy.

Previously, such meetings have been talking shops in which the two sides have exchanged views and coordinated their stances. But the meeting this time signaled that the emphasis now is on concrete actions that give substance to the two sides' talk of their alliance being stronger than ever.

Australia was already set to acquire up to eight nuclear-powered submarines as part of the 2021 AUKUS agreement with the US and the United Kingdom. But after Saturday's meeting in Brisbane, the two allies announced a series of cooperation initiatives that will further strengthen and expand the military alliance between them. These include a plan to turn Australia into a US missile production base, with the US pledging to help Australia manufacture guided missiles and rockets for both countries within two years.

Admittedly, the missile production plan may be meant to ease the US deficiency in military production, which was made salient by Ukraine's shortage of weaponry and ammunition. But what is the point of Canberra letting Washington pin a deputy sheriff's badge on it? It only further strengthens Washington's hold on the reins of Australia's foreign and security policy, by making the country more militarily and strategically dependent on the US.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said that "Australia at this moment has no better friend than America." But both the AUKUS agreement and the latest arrangements risk Australia letting the US lead it into a direct confrontation with China.

Thanks to mutual efforts, China-Australia ties have just resurrected a desirable rising momentum, and Canberra has everything to gain from maintaining such a rosy picture.

Canberra's strategic alignment with the US on the contrary will put an indelible mark on its foreign policy and cast a shadow over its relations with its largest trading partner, China.

After their meeting on Saturday, the two sides said that their cooperation is based on a bond of shared values, and their alliance is a partnership of strategic interest — premised on a common determination to preserve stability, prosperity and peace.

If Canberra is truly premising its actions on a desire for peace, prosperity and stability in the region, it should reconsider the wisdom of going all in on Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy.

Insightful Australians, former Australian prime minister Paul Keating included, have already pointed out the dangers of Australia aligning its strategic interest with those of the US.

Canberra should heed the advice to exercise caution. Ukraine and European Union countries can testify to Washington's callous indifference to supposed friends it finds useful and expendable in the pursuit of its hegemonic agenda.